65. Implement restorative practices to address hate, bias and discrimination incidents on campus.

Campus Climate 09.6.24

Here’s what the federal government can do:

  • The U.S. Department of Education should collect, conduct, and disseminate research on the effectiveness of restorative justice practices to address hate, bias, and discrimination incidents on college campuses.
  • The U.S. Department of Education should share best practices for implementing restorative practices and complying with nondiscrimination obligations.

Here’s what state government can do:

  • State legislatures should require higher education institutions to develop restorative practices that address hate, bias, and discrimination incidents on campuses.

Here’s what institutional leaders can do:

  • Higher education institutions should ensure that the social and emotional safety and well-being of students of color are prioritized in the development of restorative practices aimed at addressing hate, bias, and discrimination incidents on campus.

For years, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) has reported that race is the most common motivating bias for committing on-campus hate crimes at postsecondary institutions.[i] In 2020, race was the motivating bias in more than half of on-campus hate crimes.[ii] In a national survey of undergraduate students, 59 percent of students believed that increasing accountability for acts of racism is an important focus area for advancing campus racial climate. Higher education institutions should ensure that the development of restorative practices prioritizes the social and emotional safety and well-being of students of color. Through restorative practices, perpetrators engage in learning to understand their role, action, and responsibility in restoring what they have taken from their community.[iii]

[i]The Clery Act requires postsecondary institutions to report hate crime incidents and data on hate-related incidents. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) defines a hate crime as a “criminal offense that is motivated, in whole or in part, by the perpetrator’s bias against the victim(s) based on their race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.”

[ii] “Hate Crime Incidents at Postsecondary Institutions,” Condition of Education. U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. 2023. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator/a22.

[iii]Wilson, Maureen. “Restorative justice on the college campus: Promoting student growth and responsibility and reawakening the spirit of campus community,” Journal of College Student Development. 2004. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236808648_Restorative_Justice_on_the_College_Campus_Promoting_Student_Growth_and_Responsibility_and_Reawakening_the_Spirit_of_Campus_Community_review.